Men's basketball survives weather with split in Spokane

The University of Montana Western traveled through the winter weather to Spokane, Wash. for the Frontier/Cascade Conference Crossover. The Bulldogs took on Eastern Oregon University on Friday, Nov. 9 and Corban University (Ore.) on Saturday, Nov. 10.

Maazin Butler’s game-high 24 points was not enough for the Bulldogs to overcome the Mountaineers on Friday. The teams tied up the score 11 times in the first half with Eastern Oregon taking a slight lead at halftime, 39-37.

The teams continued to battle back and forth before the Mountaineers took the lead for good with 11:31 remaining and went on to win 83-75.

Tyler Miller was the only other Bulldog in double figures with 14 points. Kris Collins and Jake Owsley each pitched in nine points and Owsley added 10 rebounds. Butler had three assists and Collins had three steals.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs returned to their winning ways with a 68-57 victory over Corban University. The Warriors opened up the game with 12 unanswered points before the Bulldogs got rolling.

Montana Western tied the game at 21 off a Maazin Butler three-pointer with six minutes left in the half. From there, the Bulldogs would lead by seven at most while only getting behind by two. Montana Western went into the half with a 33-31 lead.

The game continued to stay close in the second half until another Butler three-pointer put the Bulldogs in the lead for good with seven minutes left in the game. Montana Western shot 43 percent from the field while limiting Corban to 32 percent. The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Warriors 39-31 and only had nine turnovers while forcing 15.

Jake Owsley had his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds. The Bulldogs were again led in scoring by Butler with 20 points. Kris Castro had a nice outing with seven rebounds, six points and four assists.

The Warriors were led by Jordan Carter with 22 points, followed by Jacob Kopra and Josiah Sebens with 13 and 12, respectively.

Montana Western remains on the road this weekend, traveling to Caldwell, Idaho for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16 and 17. Tip-off on Friday will be at 7:30 p.m. against the College of Idaho. On Saturday, the Bulldogs take on Walla Walla University at 6 p.m.